El Zócalo is a term used to refer to the main plaza of a Mexican town. It is believed that the word comes from the Italian term zoccolo, which means plinth or pedestal. In the 19th century, a pedestal was set up in the center of Mexico City‘s main square that was to be the base for a monument that would commemorate Mexican independence. The statue was never put in place and people began to refer to the square itself as Zócalo. Now in many towns in Mexico, the main square is called the Zócalo.